forward joining me now to discuss please welcome jocelyn garcia vice president of the united states student association and editor in chief of campus reform dot org thank you so much both of you for joining me just let's start with you let's address the elephants in the room in your view what do you think is really causing what's at the heart of the debt crisis for students in this country a great question and first of all thank you for having me and it's a pleasure working with you and speaking with you today so you know as you mentioned your student association is a national organization i serve as vice president representing one point five million students and so a lot of the perspectives and arguments are breaking here are things that students are currently deciding and they're that they're deciding that these are the needs that they need to answer your question as to what is that the heart of this it's difficult to say that it's one thing it's a mix of right lou it's a very complicated argument i don't think it's not a simple answer it's not black or white yes actually rary. but i do think way it

student association. what was that? what was the conference like? karen: nsa was a membership organization of 300 universities and colleges in the united states. it claimed to speak for all american students. it had huge annual conferences called congresses that minute -- minute political parties, attended by delegates from the member schools. i went not as a delegate, i went as a wife. my first encounter was as a volunteer in the secretariat that produced mountains of paper, reports, etc. i married the student body president at the university of colorado and i was the secretary of student government, but it was a paid position. i wanted to be a secretary, and had not figure out that was not what i was in college. that was my initial engagement. >> in your book you describe how when you went to this first national convention, it opened a new world to you. karen: it was, as i try to capture, i had never heard of the new york times. i never been east of chicago. i didn't watch network news. i was a cheerleader, a baton twirler. it opened up a whole new world. i think it did for so many people because there was no way to have contact. the accents

, the military order of the purple heart, the student veterans of america, am vets, the air force sergeants association, the association of the united states navy and the national military association. this month the v.a. committee chairman roe -- v.a. committee chairman roe and ranking member walz included my bill in the bipartisan g.i. bill. the harry w. colmery veteran education assistance act of 2017. this bill passed the house last night and i was proud to join my colleagues in voting for it. i am grateful to chairman roe and ranking member walz for including my bill in their legislation. i'm also thankful to senator crapo who has sclud legislation in the senate. -- included legislation in the senate. it's my hope that the senate will act, too, and from there our bill can be signed into law. this legislation will mean a great deal to the hills. it will be a great comfort to them and all those who have experienced such a terrible loss. as a grateful nation, it's the least that we can do. and america must always be a grateful nation. the harry colmery education veterans assistance act of 2017 keeps our promises to our veterans and their